sidewinder

Woops sorry - the above is a CD and not an LP ! Now spinning Giles Peterson 'Impressed - Vol 2' (UK Universal 2LPs)

Johnny Smith, CD5

Sorry to hear this - really like his Blue Note LPs, they have class. RIP.

Happy Birthday to the big Z !

It's quite the tome, isn't it ! And that's not all - havealso recently got (or about to get) Richard Cook's Jazz Encyclopaedia (cheap), the new Penguin Guide and Nica's photography book but they are for Xmas !

A bundle of great jazz hardbacks on Quartet, in absolutely pristine 1st edition condition (in fact, as new): - John Chilton's bio of Coleman Hawkins - Littweiler's bio of Ornette Coleman - Mike Hennesey's bio of Kenny Clarke - Mike Zwerin's book about the nazis and jazz £40 the lot !

There's actually a bundle of the CDs from that sale (thanks Weizen jr !) that I still need to give a spin myself. I should have just ordered the damn lot.

Glad you enjoyed it !

Maybe I was a bit harsh on 'That's The Noise'. The jazz content is fairly low but if you like Shake's flugel and don't mind MOR then I'd say it's more than fine. Definitely check out the Harriott's - Shake was a damn fine player.

Beyond lunacy !

Yeah - that old apple tree does a good 'Treebeard'..

Cheers !

Track 14 - 'Fidel'– Shake Keane. From 'That’s The Noise' (Ace of Clubs LP) I had a good chuckle looking at the responses to this one. No, not Monk but it was Stan Tracey who is most definitely Monk influenced and can often sound like Monk in hyper-drive. This is a session recorded in the late 60s by West Indian trumpeter/flugel player Shake Keane for the budget 'Ace of Clubs' imprint. It’s again an MOR session and not very inspired. However, on this last track ‘Fidel’ the band sound to be letting of steam and saying 'what the hell' to any further restrictions on the session. It’s Shake on flugel and counting in the intro - Also Bob Efford on tenor (subsequently to emigrate to the West Coast US), Olaf Vas on flute, Stan Tracey on piano, Coleridge Goode on bass and Bobby Orr on drums. Recorded back in 1967 and recently reissued on CD by Dutton Vocalion. Here endeth the first CD…

Track 13 - 'Top Secret'– Barbara Dennerlein. From 'Hot Stuff'(Enja) This one seems to have caused some collective head-scratching. An early 90s release by German organist Barbara Dennerlein recorded for the Enja label and with Andy Sheppard on tenor, Mitch Watkins on Guitar and Mark Mondesir on drums. Dennerlein's organ style is quite distinctive - almost gothic baroque with hot funk undertones ! I believe that her early training was in classical music and that comes out quite distinctly in her style. I remember catching this band (sans Sheppard I think but with Ray Anderson added) in Canada back in the early 1990s and they were well worth checking out. Hot Stuff indeed !

Track 12 - 'Body and Soul'– Pete (Laroca) Sims. From 'Swingtime'(Blue Note) No problems with this one. Tenorist Ricky Ford was correctly identified and to my mind he sounds a heck of a lot like Dexter Gordon on this track. Also on the session (recorded back in 1997) are Dave Liebman and Lance Bryant on saxes, Jimmy Owen and Eddie Henderson on trumpets, George Cables on piano and Santi Debriano on bass. An under-rated date from the more recent Blue Note and well worth searching out.

Track 11 - 'What Maria Sees'– Amancio D’Silva. From 'Reflections' (UK Columbia LP SCX 6465) Here’s a real obscurity recorded by the talented Goan guitarist Amancio D'Silva back in 1972 (or was it 71 - will have to check). It’s an MOR session recorded by Amancio for Dennis Preston's 'Lansdowne' series, not an all-out jazz session but immaculately done. The tune 'What Maria Sees' was originally recorded on one of his other Columbia albums ('Integration', I think) and is here featured in an orchestra setting arranged by Leon Young. I'm pretty sure this one has never been issued on CD - one for Dutton Vocalion perhaps? This version is taken from an LP copy. After this session, D’Silva recorded some interesting psych-rock influences material with Clem Alford, including 'Cosmic Eye Dream Sequence' - again for Dennis Preston.

Track 10 - 'J. C. Sangreet'– John Mayer Indo-Jazz Fusions. From 'John Mayer’s Indo Jazz Fusions'(FMR) The connection with the late John Mayer's Indo-Jazz Fusions was correctly mentioned by at least one poster, although this isn’t the original Fusions project done in the 1960s with Joe Harriott but a 2001 version of the group led by Mayer and with a young group of musicians from the Birmingham Conservatoire (where Mayer taught for many years). As well as John Mayer on violin/tampura there’s his son Jonathan on sitar/tampura, James McDowall on flute, Carlos Lopez-Real on alto/soprano, David Smith on trumpet and Simon Colam on piano. I think they very successfully update the classic IJF sound of the 1960s for the present day (including the Indian Rap !) on this track. Indeed 'J.C. Sangreet' was a tune originally recorded by Mayer and Harriott on one of the classic ‘Fusions’ albums. A good CD to play whilst serving up the Lamb Rogan Josh with chutney and popadoms !

They did a great job on the sound with the Reuben Wilson MG - definitely worth picking up. Glad to have been of assistance. Continuing on: Track 9 - 'Ill Wind'– Honi Gordon. From 'Honi Gordon Sings'(OJC) Another CD picked up from the fabled Concord blow-out. This obscure session features vocalist Honi Gordon with an interesting small-group lineup of Jaki Byard (piano), Wally Richardson (guitar), Ken McIntyre (flute/alto), George Duvivier (bass) and Ed Shaughnessy (drums). Recorded back in 1962 – I'm not sure if Honi Gordon did any more albums under her own name (although she did record with/for Mingus both before and after this session). A nice voice – and a fine, if obscure session. One of my favourites from the Concord sale.

Worth $5 then !

Track 8 - 'White Magic' by John Taylor. From 'Pause And Think Again' (Turtle Records LP) This one seems to have caused a bit of debate - not Herbie Hancock or one of his compositions (although the style is obviously influenced by late 60s Miles). It's an early session by John Taylor recorded around 70/71 for Peter Eden's tiny Turtle Records - not even sure if this one got a full release, I've got a feeling it may have been limited to semi-private issue. With distinctive crazy bike plus vegetables cover art (very early 70s) and a truly fine British lineup - Stan Sulzman on alto (a very early session for him), John Surman on soprano, Kenny Wheeler on trumpet, Chris Pyne on trombone, Chris Laurence on bass and Tony Levin on drums. Norma Winstone is also on this album but not on this particular track. I think this one has been reissued on CD in Europe by Disconforme but not sure if it's still available. Strongly recommended !

Track 7 - 'Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5' by Lalo Schifrin. From ‘New Fantasy’(Verve LP) No - not an Emmanuelle soft porn sountrack (ha !) but a mid-60s offering from Lalo Schifrin on Verve. This came out around the time that he did that 'Dissections and Reconstructions etc etc' session and the final track of that particular one is very much in the style of that offering - strongly infuenced by the baroque but with latin touches. Not everyone's taste I guess - but I quite like it. I'm not sure if 'New Fantasy' has ever been reissued on CD (possibly in Japan?) - this is taken from an original LP copy. The lineup is fantastic and includes JJ Johnson, Kai Winding, Jimmy Cleveland and Urbie Green and that's just the trombones.

Track 6 – 'Shadow Dance' from Billy Hart 'Enchance'(A&M Horizon) Fierce mid-70s post-bop by a group led by Billy Hart with a great lineup of Oliver Lake (alto), Dewey Redman (tenor), Marvin Peterson (trumpet), Don Pullen (piano) and Dave Holland (bass). I remember hearing this one at the time it was originally released on vinyl (recorded 1977) and being suitably impressed. Particularly solid work from Holland on this track, who really holds the whole thing together whilst Oliver Lake's solo threatens to blow the whole thing apart. Lake and Pullen were correctly identified - kudos !

Track 5 – 'Schmaltz Waltz'from John Dankworth Orchestra 'Full Circle' (Philips 6308 122 LP) Another obscurity from the early 70s Dankworth Orchestra that to my knowledge has never been reissued on CD. A typically brilliant lineup of musicians on this one, including Kenny Wheeler, Henry Lowther (trumpets), Duncan Lamont on saxes, Alan Branscombe on vibes and Daryl Runswick on bass guitar. Around this time Dankworth was doing a lot of TV theme work and movie soundtracks and some of that style permeates this fine LP, which also includes a couple of Mike Gibbs arrangements (he’s on the album but not on this particular track).

Track 4 – 'Sho Nuff Mellow'From Reuben Wilson 'Set Us Free'(Blue Note Rare Groove Series) This one is sure to get lots of people kicking themselves in the pants for not recognising it . I thought this would be nailed within 10 minutes of kicking off the BFT as it has just been reissued on CD in the latest 'Rare Grooves' batch - surprisingly no-one identified it though. Excellent early 70s soul jazz with a psych vibe by Wilson on a surprisingly good CD (well – a previous post on Org has differing opinions on this but I like it anyway). Jerome Richardson on saxes, David Spinozza on guitar/electric sitar and Richard Davis on bass. Schmokin' and samplers’ heaven !

Track 3 – 'The Funk Dispenser' from 'The Steve White Quartet – Nocturne Records Jazz In Hollywood Series'(OJC) This one obviously caused quite a lot of head scratching – quite a few people pinpointed it to the West Coast and to Pres stylists but no-one pinpointed White. A real enigma figure – I once caught him at a gig where he literally came out of the crowd with his sax in a bag, played a couple of numbers with the Lighthouse All Stars then went back into the crowd into anonymity. This track 'The Funk Dispenser' captures him to very good effect with Jimmy Rowles (piano), Harry Babasin (bass) and Roy Harte (drums). I believe Babasin and Harte ran Nocturne, so I guess this was the ‘house’ rhythm section. Part of the Concord 'mega sale' – RIP.